Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Here Comes Heximas Review

This Power Rangers Dino Super Charge review contains spoilers.

Power Rangers Dino Super Charge Episode 22

When the description for this episode came out, I assumed it’d be another inconsequential Power Rangers holiday clip show. We’ve gotten them for years. They barely, if at all, matter to the ongoing plot of the season and are just there because I guess Nickelodeon is in love with holiday episodes. So I assumed this, like Super Samurai’s holiday clip show, would take place before the finale. Yeah, the airdate would make it a bit odd, but whatever. 

But oh no. No no no. This Christmas clip show episodes takes place post series. We know it right from the start where we see real live dinosaurs with Santa hats on…. Why? Why was this set post finale? I mean, the finale itself lacked a satisfying denouement so for a moment when the preview clip came out, I thought we might get a little more information on these characters. You know, like what happened to Koda and Ivan after they were left in past.

See, that would have been interesting. Instead, Keeper brings Koda and Ivan to the present because “Christmas is the best season for time travel.” SURE. OKAY. The finale was an absolute clusterfuck of time travel, so it says something that this or Heximas’ existance don’t do much to phase me.

We then are treated to series of flashbacks to… wait… I feel something coming on… Are these… Misty water colored memories of Dino Charge reviews past?

“Powers From The Past” works so well because it takes its time. It slowly introduces everything but leaves a few questions dangling. When will the other Rangers show up? Are Chase and Koda already Rangers? Where did Sledge and company go after Keepers attack? Where is Keeper? These are great little hooks to keep the audience watching.

We never did get an answer to that Sledge question, did we? 

“Breakout” was a ton of fun and was perfectly paced. I know I never shut up about pacing in these reviews but after four years of horribly paced Power Rangers I won’t stop noticing it when done well.

Hey, remember when a Power Rangers episode could solely be awesome because it wasn’t like Samurai or Megaforce? That didn’t last long.

Yeah wow, that episode was pretty solid until the end where Tyler’s Dad just up and admitted he could have let his son know he was alive any time in the past ten years. Maybe next week will clarify it but right now… Yeah, it makes no sense and Tyler is way too chill about it.

A lot of people pointed out after reading my “Is Power Rangers Still Worth Watching” article that I was mostly positive to the season and seemingly took a left turn at the very end. I get how it looked that way, but much of my enjoyment was predicated on the hope these dangling questions would be answered. As I looked back on these reviews solely for this bad flashback joke, I’m struck just how often I had hope they’d all be answered. I really wanted Dino Charge to knock it out of the park.

Let’s talk about Singe, our new recurring villain. I dig this guy. First off, he’s not just another monster from the prison. He’s an alien from somewhere out in the galaxy who’s traveled to Earth after hearing about the Energems. It’s the tiniest bit of worldbuilding, but I’ll take it. And hell, one of his first lines is the matter of fact, “I travel in a burning asteroid. Need I say more?” He can stay.  Let’s hope Singe and Fury’s rivalry has more progression then the Sledge/Fury dynamic did over the course of Dino Charge. 

See what I mean?

This episode was a joy from start to end. Fantastic monster of the week, great use of Poisandra and Curio, phenomenal performance by James Davies, a great recurring civilian character, and so many jokes that perfectly land. The stand out moment was Chase revealing the deception to Beauticruel, knowing full well he may have lost his girlfriend because of it. I didn’t even mention everything great in this episode because it was all so good! AlrightDino Super Charge, you’ve got my attention again.

Lest anyone think I’m a a hater, there were parts of Dino Super Charge I loved. Chase ended up being my favorite overall character. Oh sure, Ivan is hilarious, but Chase ended up with the most development. Out of everyone he had a real arc and showed the most progression from the start. Contrast that with say, Riley.

You know, saving an animal is such a cheap trick to get us to like a character but it works. How can you not like a guy who stands up to an evil alien to save his family dog? Riley finds the Green Energem and it gives him the power (and a sword) to fight off Fury for now.

Poor Riley. I had so much hope for him. All he ever really got was the fandom reading him as super gay.

What we’re left with was the epic story of Riley meeting his ex boyfriend for the first time in years. All the feelings Riley had for Burt came rushing back the moment he laid eyes on him. He remembered their long walks in the forest. The gentle kisses after a long day practicing for the next marathon. The rage that consumed him when Burt moved on. 

If that had actually happened? Finale be damned, Dino Super Charge would have gotten a much higher score overall. I am easily swayed by the gay.

To cap off the episode, the Rangers all sit in the Dino Bite Café, the guys all showering Shelby with praise and calling her a genius. Kendall comes along with a present for Shelby, a rare fossil that Shelby loses her mind at until she discovers it’s fossilized…poop.

…That is a very apt metaphor for Dino Charge and Dino Super Charge now that I think on it. Fans lost their minds at the show but as they looked closer they realized… Well…

I don’t know what to say about Dino Super Charge at this point. It’s plots of the week are usually fairly solid, but developing a long running arc completely eludes it. If you’re just into Power Rangers for wacky plots of the day, thenDino Super Charge is doing pretty solidly. The cast is great and I do like the characters. It’s the overarching plot that needs a lot of work and at this point the finale is going to be a rushed mess. 

But man, even this wacky Christmas plot can’t be saved. We’re beyond the pale at this point. We live in a world where DINOSAURS ARE STILL ALIVE. We know this episode will never matter. As I watched it I struggled to pay attention. It gave me no reason to care. The damn thing doesn’t even work as an epilogue to the show. Do you know how many seasons would have benefited from a nice little epilogue? Zeo, actually having the finale it was meant to. In Space, seeing just how Earth recovered from Astronema’s attack. Lost Galaxy, where the people of Terra Venture subjugate the people of Mironoi. Super Megaforce, where we could have maybe had a scene of the Rangers saying goodbye to Gosei. 

Dino Super Charge? Eh, let’s end it with a wacky food joke. Who cares abour the characters the fans have grown to love, let’s just throw food at them.

I’ve already said everything I need to about Dino Super Charge, so I think I’ll sum it all up with Heximas’ final words from this episode. 

“All that planning… for nothing.”

Better luck next year, Power Rangers.

Shamus Kelley wrote this review while on the road, so forgive how late it is. Follow him on Twitter!